I work at a bar, 5 PM to 3 AM, and rely on Uber/Lyft for rides. Over the past two weeks, my debit card has been getting declined at night, even though it works fine during the day. The card isn’t expired, there’s no fraud alert, and I have plenty of funds. This is my only card, and I don’t have a credit card.
The issue only occurs around 2-3 AM. I use M&T Bank, and this never happened before. Why can’t I access my money when I need it most? Any advice on what I can do to avoid being stranded at work would be greatly appreciated.
This could be due to your bank’s batch processing schedule. If they made changes to the timing of back-end processes, it might be affecting transactions during these hours. Batch jobs update account balances and are typically done overnight to minimize customer impact. However, this can affect people working non-traditional hours, like yourself.
Contact your bank to leave feedback about these issues. If enough customers report it, the operations team might address it. Meanwhile, consider setting up a backup account at a different bank to avoid being stranded. It’s also a good idea to carry some cash for emergencies.
Relying on a single payment card is risky. If one gets blocked or the system goes down, you’re stuck. Get a second card, even a credit card with a low limit, for emergencies. Contact M&T’s card services to find out why this is happening.
This might be due to fraud detection algorithms flagging late-night transactions. Uber and Lyft often experience fraudulent activity, making these transactions more likely to be blocked.
Contact your bank for details. If this is due to fraud alerts, confirming the transaction multiple times may help the algorithm recognize it as normal behavior. Still, it’s a good idea to have a backup payment method or a small emergency fund in cash.
If it’s due to batch processing, the timing makes sense, but usually, debit and core systems are separate. Try deleting and re-adding your card to Uber. Also, call your bank to check the decline reason. Finally, get a second payment method to avoid these issues.